England’s prospects have improved significantly as Marcus Smith and Alex Mitchell are set to return for the challenging Six Nations match against Ireland this Saturday, having been declared fit to rejoin the team.

Smith and Mitchell participated in the training camp in York last week to further their recovery from injuries. On Sunday night, both were selected by Steve Borthwick to be part of a 36-man squad that will compete against Ireland.

Smith has not played in any matches of the Six Nations so far because he injured his calf during England’s training camp in Girona before the tournament. It is believed that Borthwick had planned to support the 25-year-old as his top choice fly-half for the entire tournament, given Owen Farrell’s decision to not participate, making his calf injury even more inconvenient.

After being chosen as England’s fly-half, George Ford played consistently well against Italy and Wales, but struggled during the game against Scotland. There is a possibility that Smith, who typically plays at full-back, may also be considered for the position, but it is likely that he will primarily compete with Ford for the fly-half spot.

Mitchell, on the other hand, suffered a knee injury prior to the loss at Murrayfield. Despite concerns that the 26-year-old may be out for the rest of the tournament, he has still been included in Borthwick’s team.

Mitchell’s comeback is a significant advantage due to his impressive performance in England’s two wins during the Six Nations tournament. He is one of three scrum-halves on the team, along with Ben Spencer and Danny Care. Care, who started against Scotland, is aiming to earn his 100th cap against Ireland. If he achieves this, he will only be the sixth male player to reach such a milestone. Despite starting in the previous game, both Care and Ford had a challenging afternoon, and it is predicted that Care will be back on the bench for the upcoming match.

Borthwick now has his preferred choices of Smith and Mitchell for the half-back positions. If he decides to play them, their performance in sparking England’s struggling offense will be key in their upcoming match against Ireland, who have dominated their opponents and are on track for another grand slam. Though England showed promise in their initial attack against Scotland, they quickly lost momentum, prompting Maro Itoje to criticize his fellow players for playing a reactive and unorganized style of rugby.

Unfortunately, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was unable to attend the training session in York last week due to a mandatory in-person medical exam. However, he has now returned to the squad. Last week, he was substituted by Will Muir, who will continue to be part of the team. As a result, Tom Pearson, Max Ojomoh, and Harry Randall will no longer be with the squad.

Source: theguardian.com